OTEN5300 9/11/2008

Old Testament Introduction
I. Genesis
A. Authorship
1. General agreement that Moses wrote a large part
2. dominant theory that there are four sources that apply to the Pentateuch
a) J(Man and Earth), E(use of term Elohim), D(Deuteronomi), P(
3. the real issue is more how we receive the material
B. Linking Phrase = "Beginnings of a People"
C. Purpose
1. Theological History
2. "to show how God worked with people in history, particularly with the Hebrew people"
D. Topics and Texts
1. Creation
a) "Parallels" - ancient texts with distinct similarities and differences
(1) How are these materials related? Is the bible based on other texts are they based on the bible-majority belief if that others are older but not necessarily the basis
(2) One way to think about it is that the Biblical text provides the correct perspective and corrects misguidings
(3) Biblical differences - God is one, People are important, polemic - "written with a point "to counter other mistaken views
(a) example - creation account of moon and stars are believed to intentionally avoid the naming and make it sound like no big deal. this helps to avoid giving credence to "the gods" of that time
(4) Similarities
b) Starting Point in History
(1) Originates with God's creation and we should view the biblical text from this perspective
c) Main Point - The focus is on the person of God and not necessarily the history. Our more typical texts are more chronological and major turning points. The work is historical, but that is not necessarily the point.
d) There is theme of goodness
(1) Repetition of the word good
(2) Even the structure of the writing emotes orderly
e) Theme of blessing and fruitfulness
(1) Chap 1vs22,27,28,29
f) The place of people is special
(1) Chap 1 vs 26 Pronouncement and change in language(king of majesty) signals that people are special and highlighted above creation
(2) Vs 27 Three fold repetition adds focus
(3) Image and likeness which are synonymous terms
(a) People are spiritual beings with a capacity for personal(unique among human beings) fellowship with God
(b) Self conscious
(i) Encountering questions like "who am I?" "what should I do?"
(c) Suggests that we are moral beings with responsibility "let them rule over"
(d) One analogy is one of a ruler that has statue made that could "represent" him wherever it is brought
g) Chapter 2
(1) Why are ch 1 diff than 2 - Some feel like this points to different sources. Brown feels like the difference is for effect from a literary perspective.
(a) Chap 1, Creation of people is the culmination
(b) Chap 2, First and foremost is creation of man and then everything else is created for man
(c) If we focus on the literarature instead of the literal reading as history will lead you in a different direction
(2) 2:27 Some read that the breath and life is the image of God. However, Brown believes that b/c he was created in the image and likeness he was give life in a special way.
(3) There is a sense of great drama unfolding with the creation of all the unsuitable and then there is a great exclamation in vs 23 - at last
(4) There is some part in 2 that is a set-up or foreshadowing with the "it is not good" for man to be alone. There is a bit of a set-up in the last verse with the "happily ever after" ending
h) Chapter 3
(1) Note that the serpent is never called satin
(2) God does not curse the woman or the man, but the ground and the serpent. Important b/c curse is the opposite of blessing
(3) There is judgement, but there is never a removal of hope.
(4) Chap 4
(a) Development of civilization
(b) People gaining status
(c) The progress of man can be positive and negative (Cain and Abel). God sees the negative and culminates in Chapter six
(5) Positives often overlooked
(a) 3:8 there is companionship and fellowship in the closeness of God
(b) 3:9 The seeking nature of God in the beginning
(c) God will judge, but tempered by mercy
2. Stories of Decline - Growth of Sin
a) Chap 5 Like a walk in graveyard
b) Chap 6
(1) vs 5 what a deep passage focusing on the depth of depravity and statement of our wickedness
(2) Though ultimately we see the judgement that comes, the real noteworthy is the character spotlight shown in the grief and sorrow of God
(3) Though God exacts judgement, a focus on Noah is a bright spot
(4) Nephaline - Typically viewed as people of great status and power and maybe authority. Very impressive and famous. Some say Giants. There are other biblical references to to this "type" of people. However, obviously God was not impressed with what he saw.
(5) Sons of God and daughters of man options - Angels and not, Godly People and daughters of those who are ungodly(conservative evangelical), Royalty taking people to their herom wthout any regard for what God wants(Dr Brown)
3. Judgement: The flood
a) Chapter 6
4. Hope
a) Chapter 9
(1) Noah is like a new Adam and God's purposes are still in place
b) Chapter 8
(1) There is a point where God acknowledges the sinfulness of Man and almost conceeds to deal with it. Brown proposes that God shows some willingness to conform his interaction with Man to keep the interaction and the transformation
c) Chapter 10
(1) Reflects that God's purposes, be fruitful and multiply have happened
d) Chapter 11
(1) Tower of Babel = Reflects that the flood did not eleviate the sin in the world
(2) Some debate the chronology of 10 and 11 chapters
(3) vs 10 and 27 another Toledot with the intent of shining a spotlight on Abram
(4) Crucial turning point to Abram
e) Chapter 12
(1) Theme of blessing and partner focus on fertility
(2) Purpose of blessing Abram is an ultimate outward purpose of blessing the world
(3) Certainly a focus on faith - In a culture where family connection is everything and going to another place is very difficult, Abram's faith is highlighted
f) Chap 17
(1) Affirmation of the promises made to Abram
(2) Running soga of an heir
(3) Circumcision as a sign of the covenant
g) Chap 18
(1) Focus on Laughter - Abram and Sarah laugh at the idea of a child so late in life. Isaac means laughter
h) Chap 22
(1) Continued focus on the promises of God that is confirmed with covenant and then fulfillment
(2) We are set up by the previous chapters of positive flow with heir being born
i) Jacob Story
(1) Though he is the deciever, it is positive in a sense that God is shown as a pursuer of Man
j) Chap 37-50
(1) Joseph Story
(a) Great Literary Piece
(b) Image of going down (prison and pit)
(c) Clothing (coat, potiphar pulling clothing, clothing change when status change)
(d) Use of the verb recognize (Jacob recognizes sons clothing, Jacob recognizing his brothers)
(e) Character Development of Judah that culminates with impressive speech
(f) "You intended for evil what God has used for good"
(2) Explains how they end up in Egypt
(3) Theme of sovereignty of God and his plans. Shows how in spite of ourselves and wrong, God's plan is unstoppable even utilizing bad for Good.
5. There is a theme of positive and negative. To the extent of possibly balance.
6. The honesty of the Bible is cool and believable because of the recording of the imperfection of Man and the building up by God
E. Context
1. Dr. Brown's opinion is more that we should focus that it is more theological and focused on the creator and what he has created. He does not feel that it is "perfect history" or scientific. It is not necessarily inteded to tell the how it happened.
2. Not necessarily intended to be perfectly chronological
F. Fertility and reproduction are signal of blessing and the working out of his plan
II. Exodus
A. Linking Phrase = Formation of a People through covenant
B. Purpose = Ton continue the history of God's dealing with people to accomplish redemption, particularly with the peole who will be the Isrealites nation (from the death of Joseph
C. Theme = The making of covenant / God's revelation
D. Topics and Texts
1. Exodus account is more of a social injustice that God delivers the people from. It does not necessarily have a great Theological bent. We may read this into the account. Highlighted to follow Brown's conviction that we should not interject new testament ideals, but more aptly read it for what it is.
2. The Hebrews in Egypt
a) Chap 1
(1) Smallness and Death But The Hebrews: Fruitful, filling the land 1-6
(2) BUT they were fruitfull and multiplied and filled the area - throwback_continuity with Genesis
(3) The Egyptians: Fearful, Filled with Anxiety vs 8
(4) God: Aware and Concerned
3. Moses - leadership, character is central to the Pentateuch
4. Revelation to Moses I AM
a) Yahweh is based on a guess b/c out of reverence jewish tradition not to speak
b) Brown believes that he is saying to Moses that you will know who I am by what I do
5. Plagues Narrative
a) Not just deliverance message, but one of God revealing who He is
b) Polemic in striking at Egyptian conception of gods and revealing who God is
c) Focus on who God is in the Lands of Egypt
6. Chap 11, 12, 13
a) Theological context to the events
b) Somewhat the basis for debate of development of Exodus and separate sources b/c these chapters have a later look
7. Passover
a) Viewed by Isreal as central to who they were
b) Deliverance, salvation, redemption are rooted in the exodus experience
c) Christ is seen as the fulfillment of the Passover
8. Tabernacle
a) Such a focus b/c there is a theme of and importance of the ever present God chap 33
b) Understanding that there is a separation of the people from holiness of God with a gradation of space and precious nature of material
III. Leviticus
A. Linking Phrase = Guidelines for a Holy People
B. Purpose = 1) A manual of worship 2) Insure continuing presence of the Lord among the people
C. Theme = Holiness, Holy God Living with and Unholy people
D. Topics and Texts
1. Sacrifices
a) Nature = About communion fellowship and worship
b) There is no provision in the sacrificial sin for intentional sin. There is a sense that the attitude of the heart changes and intentional sin to one that is sacrificable when they understood the wrong done.
c) Dealing with a wrong overlay of the NT on the OT sacrifice
(1) We often look at passages in the NT about sacrifice and view it that the sacrifice didn't work for removal of sin. Brown believes this is true but not because the system was broken. It is that the sacrifice itself was never a legalistic process of removing sin. It is about the heart and attitude of the sinner.
(a) example passages--"The blood of bulls and goats do not take away sin" and "everything else is type and shadow" These are correct in light of the ultimate sacrifice, comparitively their is no comparison.
(b) Clear that the process was effective and they were forgiven.
(i) Chap 4:35
(ii) Chap 5:10-16
(iii) Chap 6:7
(c) Equity in the system - Anyone has access(affordability) to the system. Chapter 5 is a good example. Another example that the sacrifice itself is not the deal, it is something else (the heart)
d) There were both required and voluntary
e) There is an ordering of the sacrifices that suggest a theology (example sin offereing that symbolizes giving of oneself, burning that symbolizes totality, and fellowship meal)
f) killing in sacrifice is almost always by the offerer and the Priest manipulates the blood and the alter.
g) Maybe part of the intention is the understanding of the penalty of sin is the loss of innocent life and the cost required through the blood for remission.
2. Difficulty of dealing with the law
a) Most of us get bogged down
b) Rightly understood, the book of Leviticus might be the most important theological books of the Bible
c) Laws of clean and Unclean
(1) This stuff is so foreign and strange to us.
(2) Need to understand that in many cases that the clean and unclean has anything to do with morality of a person
(3) Many of this items are cultural differences taboo and traditionally not done. It may just be a distancing the cultural taboo which would be equated with bad from the goodness of a holy God.
(4) One way to deal with this is in terms of Wholeness vs Completeness and Life vs Death. This can explain food (scavengers), Disease associated with death,
(5) Father let me work through and please shed light on my thinking that these laws were to separate people that had sinned which was the cause of there unclean status (disease, disfiguration) or the other prescribed acts
3. Day of Atonement
a) When the high Priest went into the holy of holies to cleanse the tabernacle of the bad that was "attracted" to the tabernacle over the year. The idea of cleansing to allow the Holy to continue to live among the people
b) Interesting that the high priest who is in ornate dress before the people appears before God in simple linen garments and humility
c) Chapter 16
d) Subtopic
4. Subtopic
E. Dr. Brown Believes this may be the most important theological book of the bible.
1. Partially because the Holy God is accomdating himself to unholy people
2. Making the holy available to the unholy
3. The significance becomes clear when we realize that the accomodation is an extension of the creation event and accomodation.
4. To understand the theological significance is important to the proper view of the New Testament
F. Subtopic
IV. Glossary / Definitions
A. Pentateuch
1. First Five Books of the bible.
B. Documentary Hypothesis
C. Historiography
1. Describes the process of writing history
D. Polemic
V. Key Thoughts
A. Are we setting people up by not being educational with oposing views to the bible so that people are not shocked when they go to the "real world"?
B. Never forget that the Bible's main focus is to share the nature, character and power of God. It is a theological text inspired by God and recorded by man.
C. Read text from the inside out and evaluate what it is before evaluating if the what is right or wrong by our inapplicable modern standard
D. Everything we read in the TO has its roots in creation and the intention of God. It is important to view the scripture through this lens.
E. The key story is that God works to continue or restore his original intent
F. Allways view the scripture through the positive themes of ultimate good purposes of God. We have pause when we start to see the focus on the chosen nation and start to wonder "what about the other people" We must remain grounded in the creation intention of good creation of all people. We see the wrapped back around in the new testament and Jesus reinforcement that God is available to all. I think I have been hung up in the past thinking that God did not make himself available to others besides the chosen nation. However something to think about is that if there is one souce in Adam and then Noah, then all have had an opportunity and chosen rebellion.
G. Sometime a good way to study is to pick up on a refrain and read looking for its repetition
H. It helps to separate covenant and law. The covenant came before the law. The covenant was the relationship and the law was given to maintain. There was nothing that was done by the people to deserve the covenant relationship.
I. ?Brown, Take care not to improperly impose the NT and Jesus into OT text. One way to properly view the OT is to focus on God and his character and actions toward the people instead of trying to hard to find Jesus in every passage?
VI. ?History?
A. History
1. Persons
2. Places
3. Events
4. Chronological
5. Understand that there is selectivity, emphasis and order that is imputed by the author
B. Historiography
1. Describes the process of writing history
C. Historical
VII. Covenant
A. God's intitiative and Grace
B. Seeking God
C. It helps to separate covenant and law. The covenant came before the law. The covenant was the relationship and the law was given to maintain. There was nothing that was done by the people to deserve the covenant relationship.
D. OT there is much more of a communal focus than what we understand in our western world to thinking where we focus on the individual.
VIII. New Book
A. Linking Phrase =
B. Purpose =
C. Theme =
D. Topics and Texts